Capitol Eyes March British Invasion

Capitol Records' release schedule will have a British flair in March, when the label will issue highly anticipated, as-yet-untitled new albums from Coldplay and Doves, Billboard.com has learned.

Capitol Records' release schedule will have a British flair in March, when the label will issue highly anticipated, as-yet-untitled new albums from Coldplay and Doves, Billboard.com has learned. Doves' set will arrive March 1; the Coldplay album does not have a definitive street date.

Produced by Ken Nelson, who was behind the boards for the band's two prior studio sets, the Coldplay album was recorded in London and New York. It's the follow-up to 2002's "A Rush of Blood to the Head," which peaked at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 3.5 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Frontman Chris Martin acknowledged in a summer radio interview that fatherhood had put a new spin on his songwriting. The artist had a baby girl, Apple, earlier this year with actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

"Once you're going to have a baby, [writing about] that kicks in anyway," he said. "So it's been happening for 10 months, but I mean, I'm not singing about [diapers] or anything."

As previously reported, Coldplay is expected to make its return to the live stage, possibly armed with new material, as part of a March 12 benefit for California radio station KCRW in Los Angeles.

As for Doves, the group is putting the finishing touches on the follow-up to its 2002 breakthrough, "The Last Broadcast," which has sold 109,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. album chart and was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. The new album will be released in February in the region.

Doves have promised to unveil new songs at their first shows in more than a year, to be held Dec. 14 in Wolverhampton, England, Dec. 15 in London and Dec. 17 in Blackpool, England.